Toy consoles simulating a vehicle have been developed before. In some cases the child sits in a contraption that is a representation of the vehicle being simulated, with part of the body enclosed in a structure representative of said vehicle. A typical example of this type of device is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 2,684,243 to Alston dated July 20, 1954.
Other inventions have been developed in which a small model airplane is mounted upon a housing for various manipulations using a joystick or control wheel, as well as foot-operated pedals or crossbars such as a rudder bar. Typical examples of these are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,526,371 to Laughead et al, dated Oct. 17, 1950 and 3,534,486 to Frasca, dated Oct. 20, 1970.
Various other types of airplane-type toys principally representing consoles and/or instrument panels of an airplane have been developed for purposes of amusement or instruction, typical examples of such devices being found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,454,693 to Foster, dated Nov. 23, 1948; 3,060,598 to Gilbert et al, dated Oct. 30, 1962; 3,978,609 to English, dated Sept. 7, 1976; and 4,269,596 to D'Andrade, dated May 26, 1981.
Toy console simulating vehicles developed heretofore have used electric motors, links or cables and various types of mechanical devices to produce the desired indicators of attitudinal change. All of the inventions cited above are of this type. Our invention uses state-of-the-art digital and analog electronic technology specifically for the purpose of improving and extending the realism of water, land, air and space toy vehicle operating environments. The invention combines a fully enclosed craft-commander's cabin, with modularized, replaceable and upgradeable working instrumentation, and coordinated audiovisual materials designed for both amusement and instruction. This represents a substantial improvement over related toys invented before or being marketed today.